Fourteen community organizations throughout the province, from Victoria to Fort St. James, are each receiving up to $20,000 for the delivery of anti-racism projects.
In total, the Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism is contributing $262,898 to organizations like the YMCA of Greater Vancouver or the Port Alberni Friendship Centre that have especially strong connections to their communities.
Funding recipients have the power to engage and unite British Columbians under one common goal: to eradicate racism in B.C. communities, one unique project at a time. The anti-racism projects include community events, works of art, theatre productions and a variety of other forms of community engagement designed to fight racism.
For example, the Ts’iyanne Buts’udilhti’ Friendship Centre Society in Burns Lake will use the funding to conduct a series of filmed interviews and workshops about community unity. The Cowichan Valley Intercultural and Immigrant Aid Society plans to use the funding to bring together teams of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to cultivate leadership potential, learn inclusive leadership skills and train as equality ambassadors in their community.
Communities benefitting from funding this year include: Abbotsford, Burns Lake, Campbell River, Comox Valley, Duncan, Fort St. James, Port Alberni, Powell River, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria and Williams Lake.
Quotes:
Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism ─
“This year, the B.C. government has dedicated nearly $1.7 million to engage cultural groups, promote multiculturalism and fight racism in B.C. With the help of these community organizations, together we can stamp out the embers of discrimination in our province, help strengthen communities and celebrate the diversity that makes B.C. so unique.”
Deanna Brown-Nolan, president, Ts’iyanne Buts’udilhti’ Friendship Centre Society (Burns Lake) ─
“In the Burns Lake community, we have seen issues around discrimination and racism, but we know that these acts derive from fear of the unknown. With this funding, we are able to help dismantle that fear by producing a film entitled Inclusive Spaces that will explore the assumptions and expectations of local people. Both the film and its production will raise public awareness about inclusion and opportunity in our community.”
Quick Facts:
- The request for proposals for anti-racism funding was posted on BC Bid and open to all B.C. communities and organizations interested in creating partnerships or specific community projects to fight racism in their communities to apply for funding.
- In November 2015, the B.C. government announced it was providing $240,000 in total to 14 organizations belonging to the Organizing Against Racism and Hate (OARH) network to support the work they do to address racism in B.C.
- The B.C. government is also providing $300,000 this year through the Multiculturalism Grant program to support organizations whose activities promote British Columbia’s rich multicultural heritage, and nurture empathy and inclusion.
Learn More:
For a list of community projects receiving funding, please see: http://ow.ly/Xkfme
For more information on funding previously allocated to community networks, see: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2015MIT0054-001950
To learn more about the Organizing Against Racism and Hate (OARH) program, see: http://www.embracebc.ca/embracebc/funding/organizing/index.page
Take the Unlearn Racism challenge: http://unlearnracism.ca/